Madeira, from peak to Atlantic.
Sunrise on Pico do Arieiro, the levada down to the 25 Fontes, whales off Funchal and the volcanic pools at Porto Moniz. What each tour is really like, what it costs, and where to book it.
Seven bookings you won’t regret.
First trip or fifth, these carry the week: the catamaran that finds the whales, the sunrise transfer up to the Arieiro ridge, the open-top jeep that reaches the Fanal laurels before the coaches do.
Dolphin and Whale Watching Catamaran Cruise
3-hour Seaborn catamaran from Funchal to spot dolphins, whales and turtles, with a Cabo Girão swim stop and onboard bar.
From $41 per person
Read the review →
★ 4.8Safe betEnchanted Terraces, Porto do Moniz & Fanal 4WD TourFrom $744,930 reviews
★ 4.7Books out fastBest of Madeira’s West TourFrom $423,463 reviews
★ 4.7Crowd favouriteBest of the East Tour from FunchalFrom $423,364 reviews
★ 4.7Worth the early startOld Town Walking TourFrom $193,233 reviews
★ 4.2Easy winFunchal Bay: Dolphin & Whale Watch Luxury Catamaran CruiseFrom $472,684 reviews
★ 4.7Traveller favouriteWest Madeira Waterfalls and Fanal Forest TourFrom $332,630 reviews
The sunrise is worth the alarm.
Leave Funchal in the dark, reach Pico do Arieiro before first light, and watch the sun come up over a sea of cloud with the whole island falling away below you. Walk the ridge to Pico Ruivo if your legs are willing, or just stand there. This is the morning people fly in for.
Which Madeira walk is yours?
The whole island is a trailhead, and the right one depends on your knees and your nerve. Three honest ways to spend a morning on foot. Pick the one that sounds like you, and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
Up before dawn
The sunrise summit
8.5 hours · from $38 · 4,021 reviews
A pre-dawn transfer to the car park at Pico do Arieiro, then a short walk to the viewpoint for the sunrise over the clouds. Warm layers, a flask, and you are back in Funchal for a late breakfast. The most photographed hour on the island, and the easiest way to earn it.
See the sunrise climbs →
Ridge to ridge
The peak traverse
8.5 hours · from $38 · 4,021 reviews
The PR1 from Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, the island’s roof at 1,862 metres. Carved steps, tunnels cut through the rock, and drop-offs on both sides for three unforgettable hours. Serious footwear, a decent head for heights, and a guide who knows when the cloud will lift.
See the peak hikes →
Level and green
The levada walk
8 hours · from $50 · 2,197 reviews
Follow the water instead of climbing. The levada to Rabaçal and the 25 Fontes runs almost flat through dripping laurel forest to a clearing of waterfalls. Cool, shaded and gentle underfoot. It is the walk for anyone who wants the scenery without the summit.
See the levada walks →
The best light is the last light.
Funchal faces west, so the day ends over the water. Slip out of the marina on a catamaran, cut the engine off Câmara de Lobos, and let the cliffs turn gold while the dolphins come up to breathe. A glass of Madeira in hand, the harbour lights coming on behind you. Book the boat that waits for the colour.
The island drinks well.
Poncha muddled with honey and lemon at a Câmara de Lobos bar, a tasting of hundred-year Madeira in a Funchal lodge, black scabbardfish with fried banana at a market table. Book the afternoon that ends with a glass in your hand.
Straight down the waterfalls.
Madeira is one big canyon, and the wet, thrilling way through it is on a rope. Abseil down waterfalls, slide the natural chutes, jump into black pools with a guide who has done it a thousand times. No experience needed for the level-one runs. Just nerve and a wetsuit.
The slow way up to Monte.
Painted doors down the Rua de Santa Maria, a cable car swinging up over the rooftops, the gardens of Monte in the cloud line, then two men in straw hats steering a wicker toboggan back down the hill. The city keeps its old rhythms. You just need to know which ride to book.
The island, region by region.
Madeira changes character every few miles. Funchal for the markets and the marina. The west for waterfalls and natural pools. The east for the São Lourenço cliffs. The peaks for the sunrise. Rabaçal for the levadas.
Know how you want to spend the day?
Twelve ways into the same island. Pick the one that sounds like your kind of day and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
One island, a dozen day trips.
You can drive the length of Madeira before lunch, so a single day reaches a lot. Waterfalls in the west, cliffs in the east, a valley the nuns hid in, the peaks at first light, and pickup from your hotel is part of the ticket.
Three days, done right.
You can’t see all of Madeira in one trip; you can absolutely do the right three days. This is the sequence we’d hand a friend landing at Cristiano Ronaldo Airport tomorrow.
Day 1
Settle into Funchal
The market and the painted doors of the old town, the cable car up to Monte, a toboggan back down, and a first poncha on the marina as the light goes. Gentle pace, no car needed.
Plan day one →
Day 2
Up to the peaks
Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro, the ridge walk to Pico Ruivo if the weather holds, then a levada in the afternoon to bring the day back down to sea level. The island’s big one.
Plan day two →
Day 3
The wild west
An open-top jeep to the Fanal laurels, the natural pools at Porto Moniz, waterfalls that fall onto the coast road. Or trade it for a boat and go looking for whales. Save this day for the clearest forecast.
Plan day three →
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